Chris Paul: "Guys on the team, we were excited to wear them. Steve-O in the locker room was like, 'When are we wearing them again?' Sam (Presti) did a great job of explaining to everybody the designs of them. The tree on the shorts and the gates on the side of the jersey. It's a huge significance. And when you play here, you understand that you're not just playing for yourself or the team."

Dennis Schroder: "It was special for us. We all mentioned it before we got out there. We gotta make everybody proud. It's historic, and just tried to make the best game possible. Go out there and compete for the people who were here when it happened. It was good for the city."

Danilo Gallinari: "It means a lot. Especially every player that comes to OKC has a chance to go and check out the memorial and understand what happened and understand the situation. I think that wearing those jerseys is something special for us as players and for the league when they see us play."

Oklahoma City's Chris Paul (3) celebrates with Darius Bazley (7) in the fourth quarter during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]

Joe Mussatto

Joe Mussatto joined The Oklahoman in August 2018 to cover OU football, men’s basketball and softball. He previously covered University of Kentucky football and basketball for SEC Country.
Mussatto is from Oklahoma City and lives in Norman.
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